


Prince Dour-Face

by wolfwithwoodenteeth



Series: Unfinished Business [9]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Arya is his sister, But Lyanna thinks they're ridiculous, F/M, Jon Snow is a Targaryen, So she just calls them Jon and Arya, They have Targ names: Aegon and Visenya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-13
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2018-12-27 16:19:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12084708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfwithwoodenteeth/pseuds/wolfwithwoodenteeth
Summary: King Eddard knows he's spoiled his daughter and he's always been unable to refuse her anything. He's never found it in his heart to remarry after her mother's death and now the time has come to choose a husband for his daughter, so she can continue the line and produce an heir for the throne.Princess Sansa is having none of that. She has always known what she wanted. She wants to be like a lady in a song, marrying a prince who will not only be a hero, but also her true love. She'll know it's him the moment she sees him.So when her father organizes a feast for her name day, at first she's thrilled, until she realizes he's gathered a room full of suitors for her. She's determined to refuse all of them, even the handsome one she's sure she's met before.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The last thing I need is another WIP, but I'm weak, so here's another multi-chapter for you!
> 
> This first chapter takes place about sixteen years before the events of the actual story. I've tried to stay true to the fairy tale style, which is different from how I usually write and it feels like I'm just dropping a lame exposition chapter on you, which I actually am, but I guess this is how fairy tales are usually written, so *insert shrug emoji*

Once upon a time in a kingdom far away, there lived a prince who loved his sister very much. The princess was a willful girl, who loved swinging a sword as much as she adored songs and winter roses. The prince was baffled by some of his sister's odd girly fancies, but he brushed them off, overjoyed as he was that she was willing to join him in less ladylike pursuits, for the prince did not have any brothers.

On Princess Lyanna's fifteenth name day, King Rickard, who was their father, declared that a tourney would be held in her honour. The news caused many knights, lordlings and other nobles to travel to Winterfell, not only from the North itself, but also from the Southron kingdom, including its crown prince, Rhaegar Targaryen.

Later Prince Eddard would wish that the Southron Prince had never travelled North. Rhaegar defeated all other contestants in the lists and as was expected, crowned Lyanna Queen of Love and Beauty. What no one had expected however, was for him to elope with the princess.

King Rickard called his banners and marched South to demand retribution from Rhaegar's father, King Aerys. But the Southron king was a distrustful man and unaware of his son's actions. Spurred on by his cruel younger son Viserys' whispers, he mistook Rickard's justified anger for an attempt to conquer his kingdom and burned the other monarch alive.

A horrible war with thousands of deaths followed, which lasted many moons. It ended at the Trident. The might of the North had gathered there to meet the Southron armies. The enemies were about to clash, when a single figure clad in a white gown strode onto the field. It was the Princess Lyanna, cradling her newborn son in her arms.

She fell to her knees in front of her brother, who had become King in the North upon their father's death, and begged him to end the war, for her sake and that of her innocent son. Not only was King Eddard tired of fighting, desperately wishing to return home, he also loved his sister so much that he couldn't refuse her.

A fragile peace was brokered. King Aerys had already met a death by fire himself by that time. He'd set himself alight, believing the flames would turn him into a dragon, so he could obliterate his enemies. Viserys was punished for his crimes, King Eddard was given a Southron bride and King Rhaegar swore a solemn oath that no Targaryen would ever venture north of the Neck again.

Eddard took his new wife home, but Queen Catelyn had a hard time adjusting to the cold, harsh North. Ned did not know whether his wife would come to love him, but he was determined to at least make her his friend, desperate for some companionship after losing his family.

He built her a Sept, so she could worship her Southron gods. He ordered the finest silks and the richest furs for her. He gave her the warmest chambers in the castle and directed the kitchens to have her favourite meals prepared. Moved by his devotion and his attempts to make her feel at home, Cat unexpectedly fell in love with the husband she hadn't chosen.

After a year back at Winterfell their marriage was blessed with the birth of a daughter, the most beautiful babe anyone in the North had ever seen. They named her Sansa Minisa Stark. For King Eddard, it marked a new beginning and if things had gone differently, becoming a father might have even started to heal his heart.

Unfortunately, their happiness was short-lived. A fortnight after Sansa came into the world, Catelyn succumbed to a birthing bed fever, once again leaving Ned all alone in the world, with his little girl as his only consolation.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Many years later, only a couple of moons before her sixteenth name day, the Princess Sansa was visiting her mother's family in Riverrun. 

Meanwhile, Prince Aegon, who was nearing his eighteenth nameday, had been sent on a progress throughout the realm by his father to learn about the lands and the people he would one day reign over.

As it came to happen, the prince was walking in a forest one day, where the princess had taken to bathing in a small stream that flowed into the Trident several miles down.

He halted when he heard someone singing. Her voice was so pure it touched his heart and the prince forgot to breathe. His feet started leading him to the source of the sound.

He happened upon a small clearing and the fairest maid he'd ever seen: long auburn curls floating on the surface of the water and large blue eyes in the loveliest face possible. He quickly looked away, tempted as he was to keep staring and catching more than a glimpse of that creamy skin.

He stumbled back, causing a ruckus in the shrubbery that hid him from her view, leaves rustling and twigs snapping. 

The princess gasped,  throwing her arms over her front to cover the couple of inches of skin not submerged in the water. "Who goes there?" she demanded. "My Father the King will have your head if you don't reveal yourself!"

The prince stepped out of the bushes, carefully covering his eyes, while trying not to trip over anything on the forest floor.

"Come closer!"

"I can't, My Lady. You're bathing, that would be improper!"

"Ha!" the princess scoffed. "Then wouldn't you deem secretly spying on me while I'm bathing even more improper, Ser?"

"I wasn't spying," the prince insisted. "I didn't know you were bathing. I heard you singing."

She tilted her head, looking at the man standing fifteen feet away from her. Despite the rather ridiculous position of his arms, thrown over his face, he looked lean and graceful, while not particularly tall. Dark curls hung down to his shoulders and under his large hands, she could see a pair of full lips framed by a neat beard and moustache.

"The song is called Florian and Jonquil," she told him. "It's my favourite."

"It's a lovely song. I-"

"Lady Sansa!" a stern voice suddenly called. 

"That's Septa Mordane! I need to get dressed. Turn around! Go, before she sees you!"

The prince obeyed immediately, softly whispering her name to himself. "Sansa... Such a pretty name."

"Lady Sansa, I swear..." he heard the same voice mutter as he knelt in the bushes. "You're a good girl, but you're so willful about this. It's not proper! And dangerous!"

"I'm half a Tully," the princess answered defiantly. "Father says the Tullys draw their strength from the rivers."

"And you're also a Stark! Does that mean you're planning to take in a wolf as a pet?"

"That's a marvellous idea, Septa. I'll ask Father. I could brush its hair with a silver brush and give it a collar studded with rubies. I'd ask the cooks to make roast chicken every day."

The prince bit his lip to stifle a chuckle as he heard the Septa sigh in exasperation. 

***

Once returned to the capital, it didn't take long for the prince to discover who exactly his Lady Sansa was. Finding out she was not only beautiful and headstrong, but also his cousin, made him even more determined to see her again. 

He couldn't forget his Father's oath, however.  _I never swore that oath,_ he tried to tell himself,  _and if I don't tell Father, he doesn't need to share my guilt._ Sansa's voice resounded in his head.  _"I'm half a Tully."_ And he was half a Stark, surely his Uncle wouldn't kill him for wanting to meet his family.

He didn't tell anyone of his plans, not his Mother, nor Aunt Dany or the members of the King's Guard. He simply planned to prepare a satchel with a set of clothes, some food and a bit of gold and sneak off during a hunt in the Kingswood. 

There was one person he couldn't hope to fool though, his sister Visenya, or as he and Mother always called her: Arya.

One evening she caught him stuffing a loaf of bread under his doublet before the servants could clear the table. She followed him to his chambers, silent as a shadow, and almost scared him to death asking: "What are you doing, Jon?"

He tried, but he knew it was no use.

"Where are you going?"

"North," he finally relented.

"North where?" she pried.

He sighed, clenching his fist and confessing: " _The_ North."

"Have you lost your mind?" she exclaimed, mouth falling open. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

His sister appeared shocked, but the prince knew her well enough to recognize the tone of awe in her voice and the glint of excitement in her eyes. Still he chose to ignore those. "What are you going to do about it, little sister? Tell Mother?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She bit her lip, narrowing her eyes at him in a murderous glare. She'd never betray him like that. "You're an idiot," she finally told him, "but your secret is safe with me, brother."

He gave her a curt nod and smirked. "I knew I could count on you. Come here, I have something for you."

***

Only a sennight later, the prince was well on his way when he was suddenly startled by the soft patter of small feet in the shrubbery. 

"Reveal yourself!" he roared, drawing his sword.

Out of the bushes stepped a familiar figure, tiny and skinny, dressed in breeches and leathers. When she drew back her hood, ruffling her short hair, his sister scowled at him, chewing her lip.

"What are you doing here? I thought you said going North was too dangerous." The prince bit his tongue, aware he'd spoken the words that were least likely to discourage his sister.

"That's exactly why I'm coming with you! You're on a dangerous mission and since we've already established you're not exactly clever, you can use all the protection I can offer!"

At that, the prince guffawed. "All the protection you can offer?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She crossed her arms. "Did you give me a sword so I could stab my dolls?"

"No," he admitted, "but you're my sister, I'm supposed to protect you, my lady!"

"Don't call me that! I'm not a lady, I'm going to be a knight!"

"There are no lady knights!" he scoffed.

"You'll be king one day," she pointed out, narrowing her eyes. "If you decide there can be lady knights, who's going to say otherwise?"

"Alright," the prince grumbled. "You can come along, little sister." He mussed her hair. "Sure those short legs of yours can keep up?"

"Are you going to walk all the way North?"

"Of course not, I'm taking a ship to White Harbour in Maidenpool!"

"Well, let's go then!" she laughed, racing past him.


End file.
